I want to examine the Ukraine war update on the front lines gray zone area where the battle in Kharkiv has unfolded on its 5th day as the fog of war starts to lift. News of the world even has traveled fast. Then I want to take a look at if Russian forces might be planning to invade Sumy next. We’ll also cover any recent diplomatic changes in messaging on either side or their allies. The first thing you need to know is that In the Kharkiv direction, The number of border villages Russia claims to have captured in Kharkiv has now increased to between 9 and 12. The number isn’t important, what matters really matters is how close is the closest one to Kharkiv city? One such close proximity town that was captured appears to be (Loo-k’yahn-tsee) Luk’yantsi. The reason this is concerning from the Ukrainian defenders point of view is because the next town in line is (Lee-pt-see) Lyptsi. If that were to fall it could theoretically put Kharkiv within Artillery range. This is why I think the Ukrainian intelligence general said to the new york times quote ““The situation is on the edge. Every hour this situation moves toward critical.” However It’s unclear what the end goal is for the Russian assault at this point. Do they plan to continue forward with what Moscow has described as a buffer zone? Evidence that these claims of Russian advances are likely accurate comes from The Ukraine’s general of staff who said quote”At present, the enemy has tactical success” then we can take a look at a video that has gone viral of what appears to be two Russian platoons marching within 3 meters of each other. Normally if you expected to receive fire you would be space out much further instead they appear to be walking into Kharkiv oblast which seems to possibly support the reports that initial defensive lines did not work as anticipated. Before we continue I have a small disclaimer for you, keep in mind that the situation on the ground is developing rapidly and the information is subject to change. This report I’ve put together for you here, is a curation of various different sources all of which have their own biases, I made sure some of them are from the Russian perspective and some are from the Ukranian one. I too admittedly have my own personal biases. But I think that’s part of being human, especially if you’re talking about something you care about. However, It’s important for you to be aware of those biases. I’m here to share with you my imperfect view of the battlefield so I can hear your feedback and constructive criticisms, both of which I appreciate as it helps me improve. We’ve seen reports of major shake ups in both the Ukrainian leadership. On May 11th just one day after the invasion of Kharkiv, the Ukrainian Commander responsible for the defense of North Eastern frontlines General Yuriy (Ha-lush-kin) Halushkin was relieved of his command and replaced by General (Mick-high-low Drah-pah-tee) Mykhaylo Drapatiy. Dprapatiy was responsible for leading the combat operations in recapturing the city of Kherson in 2022. The fact that the former commander in Kharkiv was replaced could be seen as another indication that the initial defensive operations did not go as planned. Newsweek reportedly spoke to Ukrainian military and local officials in vovchansk who said that Russian artillery shelling on the border made it difficult for them to build proper fortifications. It’s tough to bring in civilian construction equipment and lay down dragons teeth and drudge up trenches when you’re under explosive artillery fire. What remains to be seen is if defensive lines were created further back from the border in safer places, this is something we will find out in the coming weeks. #UKRAINE #WAR #KHARKIV